Charlotte Bobcats Would Be Wise To Take Ben McLemore in NBA Draft

By John Raffel

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The speculation on the 2013 NBA draft will increase dramatically once the lottery is completed. But if the Charlotte Bobcatshave the No. 1 or 2 pick, there’s some speculation floating around that Kansas 6-foot-5 guard Ben McLemore will likely become a Bobcat.

He’s obviously a great talent but the new Bobcat coach would eventually have to relate to management how McLemore and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would work together.

The Bobcats want someone who is going to produce consistently and they had very few players like that on a 21-win team last season. But they need someone who, unlike Kidd-Gilchrist, would produce major numbers in a hurry.

McLemore seems to have all the tools to do very well in the NBA right away. He set the Kansas scoring record with 15.9 points per game and was first-team all Big 12 and second team All-American.

His scoring average eclipsed the freshman record of Danny Manning back in 1985. He scored 36 points a game to break the school’s single-season record.

McLemore took a redshirt season so most observers are confident he came make it in the NBA. The only problem would obviously be making sure his talent doesn’t get isolated while playing for a team that has been void of stars. But he’s not going to go wrong at whatever place he winds up. He has too much talent for that. That’s why the Bobcat should take him, provided he’s available.